Punish Germany In The Treaty Of Versailles example essay topic
411 words
The "war guilt clause" of the treaty deemed Germany the aggressor in the war and consequently made Germany responsible for making reparations to the Allied nations in payment for the losses and damage they had caused the war. It was impossible to compute the exact sum to be paid as reparations for the damage, but a figure of lb 6,600 million was concluded. The Germans were angry with this as it was agreed by the Allies, without consulting them. The Allies wanted the punish Germany in the Treaty of Versailles, as they all felt she should accept responsibility for causing the war. Therefore, she should pay to reconstruct the destroyed areas in France, and for the debts the Allies had accumulated from the war. They also wanted to weaken Germany to ensure she would never again pose military threat to the rest of Europe, so took measures such as restricting the German army to just 100, 00 men. Many people thought the Treat of Versailles was not constructive; it was not a peace of reconciliation but one of "vengeance". Most people in Britain and France wanted revenge after the war, and received some 'satisfaction' out of the Treaty as they were able to gain German colonies and recover their wealth and power, and thought they had every right to demand this. However, Germany felt the Treaty of Versailles was unfair as, firstly, it had not been negotiated with them but decided without her, and her objections largely ignored.
They also found it hard to accept many of the Treaties as Germany still protested her innocence in causing the war. They also thought it was unjust as it was not based upon Wilson's 'fourteen points' as they had hoped for. For example, Wilson, in is Fourteen points talked about Freedom of the Seas, however in the Treaty of Versailles Germany navy was reduced meaning they could not enjoy such freedom. Many German citizens felt the Allies were "stricken with insanity" as the reparations they requested were far too high, and argued that they were trying to starve their people.
Although the Treaty did seem harsh, it was too mild to weaken Germany so as to make it impossible for it to ever again become a great power, so although in the short run, things looked bad for Germany, it was quite possible for them to easily recover from it..
